1 Parade: How to get to and from the big celebration.
Getting to and from the Warriors’ big party in downtown Oakland on Thursday will require a bit of planning and plenty of patience.
With hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on the parade route and rally site, dozens of streets will be closed, and people are advised to leave their cars behind and take public transportation. The parade begins at 10 a.m. Information on the parade and rally is at www.nba.com/ warriors/news/2017-champion ship-parade/.
BART plans to roll out every available railcar in the morning, but crowded trains and long lines at ticket machines are expected, and parking isn’t likely to be available at most stations.
BART officials suggest buying a Clipper card or roundtrip ticket in advance and walking, biking or hitching a ride to the station to board a train, then exiting at the 12th Street or 19th Street stations in downtown Oakland. Although Lake Merritt Station is a short walk to the rally site at the foot of Lake Merritt, the station is small and likely to be more crowded.
After the parade and rally, BART riders bound for destinations on the San Francisco, Richmond or Pittsburg/Bay Point lines will have to use the 12th Street or 19th Street stations on Broadway in downtown Oakland. Fans bound for stations on the Fremont or Dublin/Pleasanton lines will have to use Lake Merritt Station. More information is at www.bart.gov.
Fans also can take AC Transit to and from the parade and rally but should be aware that 22 lines into the area will be rerouted. Buses will still head downtown, but to a temporary transit center on Castro Street between 12th and 17th streets. From there, revelers can catch a shuttle downtown or take a several-blocks-long walk. Details are at www.actransit.org.
Parade-goers can also get to the parade or rally by boat or bike. The Alameda/Oakland Ferry can take fans to Jack London Square, about a 15minute walk to the parade route. Bicyclists can pedal to the bike station at 19th Street and Broadway.